Sport

The 19-year-old defeated Wei in the second Rapid Game in the tiebreak with black pieces to become the first Uzbek chess player to win the World Cup

India made a memorable debut at the ITTF World Youth Championships in Romania, clinching a historic silver in the U-19 boys team event and a bronze in the U-15 girls category. Strong performances across divisions underlined the growing depth of India’s young paddlers.

Rohit Sharma has reclaimed the top ODI batter ranking, while Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza became the No.1 T20I all-rounder for the first time. The latest ICC rankings saw major shifts across formats, with strong gains for players from Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh and New Zealand.

India ended Day 4 at 27/2 chasing 549 against South Africa in the second Test at Guwahati. Tristan Stubbs scored 94 before the visitors declared at 260/5. Ravindra Jadeja took four wickets, but India face a daunting task

India will face Pakistan on February 15 in Colombo during the 2026 T20 World Cup, which begins on February 7 in Mumbai. The 20-team tournament will feature 55 matches across India and Sri Lanka, with Rohit Sharma named brand ambassador

Hyderabad defeated Rajasthan by seven runs in the BCCI Women’s under-23 T20 cricket championship at Nagpur. Hyderabad posted 127/4, with Vanka Pooja and G Trisha contributing, before restricting Rajasthan to 120/7 despite Anjali Jat’s 35

Jharkhand defeated Hyderabad by four wickets in the Cooch Behar Trophy under-19 sixth-round match at Tata Digwadih Stadium, Dhanbad. Hyderabad posted 191 and 186, while Jharkhand replied with 176 and 202/6. Thanmai Krishna picked three wickets for Hyderabad

The Telangana Government has decided to allot 40 acres of land in Jagganapeta village, Mulugu district, for a new Sports School. This will add to the existing institutions in Hakimpet, Adilabad and Karimnagar, Sports Minister V Srihari announced

Top seeds Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand began their Syed Modi International 2025 campaign with a hard-fought win over Malaysia’s Cheng Su Hui and Tan Zhing Yi. India’s juniors also impressed, while Sai Pratheek, MR Arjun and Priya Konjengbam advanced

Kaun Banega Crorepati will host a special episode featuring India’s women’s cricket team, including Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma and coach Amol Muzumdar. Amitabh Bachchan will lead the show, celebrating cricket, quizzing and the pride of Women in Blue

A high-level review meeting was held at the ACA–VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam to discuss arrangements for the India–South Africa ODI on December 6. Officials focused on security, sanitation, traffic and beautification works to ensure smooth conduct of the match

GM Andrey Esipenko defeated Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev in the third-place play-off at the FIDE World Cup Goa 2025, securing his place in the Candidates. The final between Wei Yi and Javokhir Sindarov heads to a tiebreak after two draws

Prince and Harsh Gandra struck centuries for Team D in the HCA under-16 two-day probables matches in Hyderabad. Several teams also registered wins in the B-Division T-20 league, with standout knocks from Praneeth Kumar, Nithin Nayak and Rohit Reddy

Indian shooters won 16 medals, including seven gold, six silver and three bronze, at the Tokyo Deaflympics. Rifle shooter Mahit Sandhu led with four medals, while Abhinav Deshwal, Pranjali Dhumal and Dhanush Srikanth also starred in India’s dominant campaign

The SKF Goa River Marathon 2025 will be held from December 13 to 15, featuring 10,000 runners from 42 countries. With five race categories and events like a carb-loading fiesta and recovery rave, the marathon blends fitness with Goa’s cultural vibrancy.

The All India Football Federation formally adopted Article 25.3 (c) and (d) of its Constitution as directed by the Supreme Court. The move resolves a matter pending since 2017 and aligns AIFF with FIFA and AFC statutes

Telangana Cricket Association appealed to the BCCI for affiliation, urging derecognition of HCA over non-compliance. TCA cited a 2021 directive acknowledging its statewide footprint and said thousands of players continue to be denied opportunities due to lack of integration

Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad was hired out again for a non-sporting event, denying athletes training space. Officials of the Sports Authority of Telangana admitted pressure from lobbies, raising concerns over misuse of sports infrastructure despite the State’s new Sports Policy

K Lakshmi Narayana won gold in the men’s 200m and 400m freestyle (80–84 years) at the 21st National Masters Aquatics Championship in Hyderabad. Telangana swimmers secured multiple medals across categories at the GMC Balayogi Stadium swimming complex

The Melbourne Cricket Club will host WARNE: Treasures of a Legend at the Australian Sports Museum from December 16, 2025, to August 9, 2026. The exhibition features 48 memorabilia items celebrating Shane Warne’s career and legacy at his beloved MCG

Seventeen-year-old Pavani of Telangana won bronze in the R4 10m air rifle standing mixed SH2 category at the World Ability Sports Games in Thailand. She became the youngest medallist and is now preparing for the Asian Games and Paralympics 2028

Three Telangana footballers — K Alekhya, M Rakshitha Reddy and G Savitri — have been selected for the SAFF Senior Women’s Futsal national team trials in Bengaluru. The final team will compete in the SAFF Women’s Futsal Championship in Thailand in January

Chinese GM Wei Yi held GM Javokhir Sindarov to a draw in the opening game of the FIDE World Cup 2025 final. GM Andrey Esipenko defeated GM Nodirbek Yakubboev in the third-place play-off in Panaji, Goa

Harika, a 17-year-old wrestler from Julurupad in Kothagudem, won gold at the SGF State-level Wrestling Tournament in Hyderabad. She defeated wrestlers from Warangal, Rangareddy and Hyderabad to qualify for the national-level competition